When I Grow Up
by theoriginalbatgirl
Summary: Ever wondered how a regular person might react if they met Batman. Adams parents are saved by the dark knight, and now Adam knows what he wants to do with his life. Become a superhero. But Adam's dream becomes an obsession when he begins to trace Batman's


When I Grow Up  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Batman and other DC related characters, but Adam and the others are my own concoction.  
  
By the original batgirl.  
  
Prologue: This is my first piece of Batman fanfic so please be kind! ( I thought I'd explore how a regular person (who might be a little obsessive) would react to meeting Batman.  
  
It was just another regular day at school for Adam. The morning spent in Math class, early afternoon in Gym, and now he was enduring English with Mrs. Hamilton. Adam found himself scribbling on the paper entitled 'Shakespeare' on his desk instead of paying attention to the rather plump Mrs. Hamilton who was enthusiastically addressing the class on the details of Macbeth.  
  
"Adam?" called Mrs. Hamilton, "Are you paying attention?"  
  
Adam snapped out of his daze to see the entire class and teacher looking at him. Embarrassed at this sudden attention, his eyes widened until he met Mrs. Hamilton's gaze and then immediately shifted his eyes to the floor.  
  
"Well I hope you are for your own sake" Mrs. Hamilton snapped, "Otherwise you'll be lost come exam time. And that applies to all of you." The teachers gaze moved around the room as the rest of the students turned to focus upon her, taking the heat off Adam.  
  
Adam wasn't a bad student, but he found himself having trouble concentrating lately. It was almost as though he found everything in his life so boring and mundane that it was hardly worth bothering to make an effort anymore.  
  
He was relieved to hear the home time bell and quickly stuffed his papers into his backpack as he rose from his chair. As he turned he felt a nudge from behind.  
  
"Yeah Adam, why wouldn't you be paying attention to Shakespeare - its great stuff.!" Joked Adam's friend Mike as they exited the class.  
  
"Oh yeah," Adam just rolled his eyes.  
  
"Hey cheer up buddy," Mike continued, "It's Friday and we have the whole weekend ahead of us."  
  
Mike and Adam had been friends since they started high school.  
  
"I know, but tonight I have to go out to dinner with my family for my sister's birthday," Adam did not enjoy the prospect of having to spent any 'quality' time with his family.  
  
"Bummer man, don't you just love family do's" replied Mike sarcastically.  
  
"Especially one's that involve my sister" Adam moped.  
  
"You'll survive," Mike reassured Adam as they stepped out of the large front entrance of Gotham High School.  
  
"I'll give you a call tomorrow then!?" Mike asked as they began to head in opposite directions.  
  
"Sure" Adam replied. "See you later."  
  
It was already dark by the time Adam reached the steps to his home. It was the beginning of winter in Gotham City and that meant it grew dark quite early. Adam's family lived in a fairly large apartment in a decent part of town. They weren't rich, but his parents made a good living. His mother was a psychologist at a nearby clinic, and his father worked for a computer company. Adam also had an older sister who had since moved out of home and lived with her fiancée, a young up and coming lawyer. Tonight, his parents had made plans to have dinner with Adam's sister and her fiancée to celebrate her birthday. Adam hadn't always gotten along well with his sister, and especially not since she'd moved away. She had always been the pride and joy of the family - top of the class at her school, and now she was studying to become a lawyer.  
  
There was no one at home when Adam arrived. He dropped his bag in the hall and slumped onto the couch in the lounge room and switched on the television. Adam flicked through the channels until he came across a news report.  
  
A female news reporter appeared on screen. "Last night four thieves were arrested after a foiled attempt to rob the International Bank of Gotham. The thieves only made it inside the building before they were incapacitated by the masked vigilante known as Batman, and were obtained by police soon after. The robbery is just one of a spate of crimes related to bank and ATM thefts occurring in Gotham in the past month."  
  
"Batman," Adam thought to himself. Adam wondered who this guy really was. He had been Gotham's crusader against crime ever since Adam was a kid, but no one knew his true identity. He always imagined he was like Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent, and there were myths about how he wasn't completely human and had super powers. "But what if he were just a regular guy?" Adam pondered. He had never actually seen him - just photographs on TV and in the paper. Whatever he was, there was no doubt this guy was a hero. But there were those who objected to his vigilante crusade and believed he should be locked away with all the other psychotic criminals who dwelled in Gotham City.  
  
Adam was so deep in thought reflecting about Batman that he almost didn't hear his parents enter the apartment.  
  
His mother popped her head around the corner. "Are you ready yet Adam?" she asked.  
  
Adam knew she was referring to dinner. "Yes, I'll be ready in a minute," he reluctantly replied.  
  
Within minutes he had changed and freshened up. He decided not to dress too formally as the weather was quite chilly this time of year. Besides, it's not like he was going anywhere special.  
  
"Hurry up Adam. We're going to be late;" yelled his mother from the hall. Surprisingly she had managed to get ready quicker than he had.  
  
Adam rushed out of the apartment to find his father holding a taxi cab outside. They all got inside and within minutes they had arrived at the restaurant. Adam's sister and her fiancée were waiting outside.  
  
It was a popular Chinese restaurant named 'Madame Wu's', and was particularly crowded. Adam didn't care much for his food, and barely joined in on the conversation which mainly revolved around his sister and how well her fiancée was doing.  
  
The night seemed to go on forever, until finally they brought out the cake and sang 'Happy Birthday.' It wasn't long after before they asked for the bill.  
  
"Well thank you for the wonderful birthday dinner" Adam's sister said as she smiled and hugged her mother and father in turn.  
  
"I'm glad you enjoyed it honey," their mother replied.  
  
By now a crowd had formed outside the restaurant. A cab pulled up nearby.  
  
"Well, we better get going" exclaimed Adam's sister's fiancée as they backed towards the cab.  
  
They said their goodbyes and left. Meanwhile Adam and his parents were left to wait in the crowd until another cab arrived.  
  
"We're never going to get a cab at this rate" said Adam's father, clearly frustrated. It was pretty cold to be waiting in line for a cab.  
  
"Let's cross the road and walk up to the main street. There's bound to be cabs there," his father continued.  
  
Adam's mother was reluctant to go along with his plan, but she conceded it was a better alternative than standing in the cold. Adam didn't see why her sister couldn't have given them the cab. "She's so grateful and so happy to see us, but she couldn't wait to just leave us standing there in the cold," Adam mumbled as he hugged himself to keep warm.  
  
Within minutes they were alone in a poorly lit area. Adam's father walked briskly up ahead, whilst Adam and his mother stayed close behind.  
  
The next few moments were so surreal it almost felt as though it wasn't even real. From out of the shadows appeared two men. One was stocky, the other thinner and wielding a baseball bat. Adam and his mother froze with fear. They knew something bad was about to happen.  
  
"Going for a little midnight family stroll are we!?" The stocky man teased as the thinner man snickered.  
  
Adam's father was closest to them. "We don't want any trouble," Adam's father replied as calmly as he could manage.  
  
"Well you don't have much of a choice old man!" Yelled the thinner man as he wildly swung his bat.  
  
Within seconds the bat was cracked across his father's back. Adam gasped, but his mother couldn't help but scream as Adam's father fell to the cold concrete.  
  
Adam's heart jumped as the stocky man approached him. He couldn't think nor run. All he could do was brace himself for what was to come.  
  
Just as suddenly as the hoodlums approach, a large black figure swooped down from the shadows, collecting the stocky man as he landed, pinning him to the ground. Mercilessly, he jabbed the man hard in the stomach before pouncing on the man with the bat. In two swift moves he knocked the bat to the ground and threw the man at the wall where he slumped to the ground.  
  
Adam just stood there amazed at what he had just witnessed. He was speechless. This figure who was their savior wasn't just any man. It was the Batman.  
  
Without hesitation Batman checked Adam's father, and rolled him on to his side. He was out cold, but still breathing. He then pulled some makeshift handcuffs from his belt and quickly incapacitated Adam's attackers. Meanwhile Adam's mother shook and wept by her husband's side.  
  
Then Batman spoke. "He should be ok." His voice was deep and lacked emotion. "The Police will be here soon."  
  
Adam's mother was in no state to comprehend what was being said, so Batman turned to Adam. His form was large and menacing like a demon. The only human part of his body was his chin which was clearly visible. Adam felt himself go cold and a lump formed in his throat. Batman was more terrifying than the men who attacked them.  
  
"Look after your parents before the Police arrive." His words sounded more like a demand. "They won't be giving you any more trouble," he tilted his head towards the men heaped on the ground. All Adam could manage was to look up as far as his chin and nod. Batman's eyes were too intimidating for him to look at.  
  
With that, Batman turned and took two strides towards the sidewalk before reaching for his belt and holding out his grappling gun. Adam now watched as he fired the hook up into the air before launching himself up into the shadows.  
  
Adam could hear the distant wailing of sirens in the background as he tried to take in what had just occurred.  
  
Any reviews would be much appreciated. 


End file.
